Crown of Sins
by LyraCat
Summary: Midna's reflection of her regrets, hopes, and struggles she had to overcome and has yet to face on the journey to the Mirror Chamber.


_Atop my head lies  
A crown of past heavy sins  
Shackled to my fate_

The night air in the desert was surprisingly cool and silent. Link lay on his side in the sand, his head resting on the green pointed hat that had been removed, folded, and set atop the Hylian Shield to provide a makeshift pillow of sorts. Midna sat upright, wide-awake and looking at the stars above as the tired Hero beside her slept.

They had come so far. She brought her gaze from the heavens towards him, reminiscing of the struggles they had gone through. She realized that she had been so terrible; forcing him to do exactly as she said, keeping secrets, and putting him through so much pain and worry. She couldn't imagine what it was like from his perspective.

Only once she had been mortally wounded did she realize that to save her world – to save herself – she must put everything on the line. She was no longer doing it for her own benefit. She now knew that Zant must be stopped and the source of his power completely snuffed out lest her kingdom and that of Hyrule were to fall into further chaos.

Midna sighed, looking at the sand before her. Taking a finger she began to trace mindlessly in the pale brown granules, further contemplating her journey thus far.

The people of Hyrule truly are strong. They hold onto hope even in the darkest of times and are willing to sacrifice everything.

" _Zelda…"_ she thought, pausing her doodles in the sand and looking down at her hand where the princess had transferred the last of her power to the frail impish body of Midna in her desperate hour. She brought her hand to her chest, hugging it close. _"I will NEVER forget your gift… though I fear repaying it will be an impossible task."_

The Hylian beside her stirred in his sleep.

What could he be dreaming of? His carefree life of the past? Silently running as a wolf to a far off destination, breaking the shackles that hold him to his destiny?

She materialized the Shadow Crystal that enabled her companion to transform between man and beast and balanced it on the tip of her finger, the orange patterns glowing in the night as the half-moon watched from above. To think that Zant had somehow gained a power so strong, so dark, that it repressed the magic native to her tribe. With her other hand she flicked the crystal, causing it to spin for a few seconds then come to a stop once the momentum faded. She closed her fist, making it disappear.

Midna rested her hands on her knees as her legs were crossed. She closed her eyes and quietly hummed a few notes, the same she melody she had used not long after meeting the one of legend. She sat in silence for a time after the last tone faded into the empty expanse around her.

Eventually she reached for the Fused Shadow adorning her head and with her delicate hands, lifted it from its resting place. Setting it in the sand before her, she shook her head, letting her fiery locks loosen after being confined by the mask.

Midna observed the etchings in the stone, the runes that imbued it with the powerful sorcery of her ancestors.

What sort of felonious act could her people have committed that warranted the divine intervention of the gods? The engraving of the eye stared intensely back at her, causing an uncomfortable feeling of darkness, anger, regret, and sadness to well up deep within her. She shuddered, drawing her gaze from the mask and lifting it towards the structure in the distance.

The Mirror Chamber.

Only a little further and she would finally have true power, not the dark magic of her predecessors that Zant had stripped of her, leaving an ailing Imp in place of the once great ruler. Midna would match the magic of the King of Shadows, the one who had usurped her, throwing two worlds into a pall of suffocating blackness, nothing like the pure, light veil that pleasantly covered her kingdom.

No, this was darkness.

Oppression.

Fear.

And now a bright light of courage must shine through it all.

Midna turned back to Link, her face softening once her gaze settled on the sleeping Hylian. She stood from the sand, brushing it off her and looking the Fused Shadow in the eye.

For a few fleeting moments she faced the darkness in her own heart, picking up the heavy stone before her and placing it on atop her head once more.

This was her crown of sins – the sins of her people – and she must bear it to the end.

That end was near. She could sense it, and when it was all over… a sigh escaped her. She knew what she must do to prevent the pandemonium from reoccurring.

Sadly she looked to Link and leaned over him, ever so gently resting her tiny hand on his shoulder. Placing her mouth close to his pointed ear, she whispered a few words as a single shining tear slid from her cheek to land on his.

" _I'm sorry."_

* * *

 **I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say regarding this story.**

 **When the concept for it first came to my mind I wanted to bring up the Interloper war and draw connections to the Sheikah and explain the history of their banishment, but the story instead focused on Midna's emotions and journey. As my favorite video game character, I hope I did justice to the Princess of Twilight and the struggles she must endure.**


End file.
